Rotatable marking device for marking predetermined intervals

ABSTRACT

Layout device of the type having a roller and a radially biased stamp member disposed in an interrupted region of the roller surface wherein a member fixed relative to the roller is disposed in the interrupted region and disposed to bear effectively upon the workpiece when the interruption reaches the workpiece, the fixed member cooperating with the peripheral surface of the roller to define a fixed circumferential length enabling the avoidance of cumulative error. The fixed member is preferably of elongated form protruding radially through the stamp member and forms a post about which the stamp member slides. It preferably bears upon the workpiece through the thickness of a rubber impression sheet on the stamp member. The post can also act as a retainer to set a limit on the outward movement of the stamp member. The layout device may have a stamp member area dimensioned on the order of 2 inches by 4 inches and biased outwardly by a plurality of radial springs. The roller is held in a yoke which can accommodate different rollers for different mark spacings and an inking roller which can be engaged by the stamp member each revolution.

United States Patent Grover 1 ROTATABLE MARKING DEVICE FOR MARKING PREDETERMINED INTERVALS Primary Examiner-Clifford D. Crowder [57] ABSTRACT Layout device of the type having a roller and a radi- 1 IIIIIIIIIIIAIIIIA ally biased stamp member disposed in an interrupted region of the roller surface wherein a member fixed relative to the roller is disposed in the interrupted region and disposed to bear effectively upon the workpiece when the interruption reaches the workpiece, the fixed member cooperating with the peripheral surface of the roller to define a fixed circumferential length enabling the avoidance of cumulative error. The fixed member is preferably of elongated form protruding radially through the stamp member and forms a post about which the stamp member slides. lt preferably bears upon the workpiece through the thickness of a rubber impression sheet on the stamp member. The post can also act as a retainer to set a limit on the outward movement of the stamp member. The layout device may have a stamp member area dimensioned on the order of 2 inches by 4 inches and biased outwardly by a plurality of radial springs. The roller is held in a yoke which can accommodate different rollers for different mark spacings and an inking roller which can be engaged by the stamp member each revolution.

10 Claims, 5 Drawing Figures 44 28 lvgi 3s 3 3e ROTATABLE MARKING DEVICE FOR MARKING PREDETERMINED INTERVALS This invention relates to a marking or layout device for building; construction, for measuring and marking the repeated stu'd positionson top. and bottom plates and various positionsupon other building parts in the frame construction of buildings.

The need for .providing an effectivemeasuring and marking device of this type has long been recognized. Various apparatus have been revealed in search, as follows: Ray et al.-U.S. Pat. No. 642,367; Pearson U.S. Pat. No. 3,046,884; Eberhardt U.S. Pat. No. 3,063,370; Denning U.S. Pat. No. 3,086,460; Mellison U.S. Pat. No. 3,179,043; and Swapp U.S. Pat. No. 3,537,394.

Although the problem of providing a suitable marking device might seem simple at first look, there appear a number of factors which cause diffi'culty in achieving an effective and practical device." Among these arethe need for extreme ruggedness in order to withstand the normal rough usage necessarily encountered, in the building industry, the need for high reliability with regard to the accuracy of the markings to insure matchup between, for instance, the stud positions on the top and bottom plates all along a stud wall, and reliability with regard to making clear markings at each impression over a long succession of impressions. Also needed is the ability to alter the repeat length, for instance, as one changes from a 16-inch to a24-inch stud spacing.

The'objects of the present invention are to fulfill these needsin a practical, durable way.

The invention employs a layout device for workpieces of the type having a rolling member carrying an ink stamp, and it features the improvement comprising the combination of an arcuate ink stamp which is biased outwardly beyond the periphery of the rolling member in an interrupted segment thereof and displaceable inwardly upon engagement with the workpiece, an inking means, e.g. a roller, at a position spaced from the position where the stamp engages the workpiece and a work-engaging fixed member fixed with respect to the rolling member and preferably within the outline of the stamp member, the fixed member positioned to effectively engage the workpiece and define part of a fixed rolling circumference of the device in the region where the ink stamp rolls upon the workpiece.

Preferred embodiments of the invention feature: an ink stamp member with an outline on the order of 2 by 4 inches; the ink stamp member biased outwardly by an array of compression springs; the fixed member in the form of a radial post protruding through an opening in the radially movable ink stamp member; an ink stamp cover mounted on an ink stamp body and extending over the post, the post effectively bearing upon the workpiece through the substance of the rubber cover; and a yoke assembly journaling the rolling member and providing alternate positions for the rolling member to receive alternate, differing size rolling members while enabling effective inking thereof.

These and other objects and features of the invention will be understood from the following description of a preferred embodiment taken in conjunction with the drawings wherein:

FIG. I is a perspective view illustrating the rolling of a preferred embodiment of the layout device upon a plate member;

FIG. 2 is a vertical cross-sectional view taken throughoutthe axis of rotation of the embodiment of FIG. 1; and

FIGS. 3, 4, and 5 are partial transverse crosssectional views of the embodiment of FIG. 1 showing the various positions of the ink stamp member of the layout device during a cycle, of rotation.

Referring to the figures, a rolling drum 10 is journaled in a yoke 12 and'propelled by handle 14 along the length of workpiece l6. Wing nuts 18 secure the drum 10 to the yoke and also secure an edge guide 20 thereto. In the upper part of the yoke overlying the drurnjs an inking assembly 22 comprising an inking drum 24 and inking media 26. In one location along the periphery of the drum 10, a recess 28 extending over anarc segment of the roller is provided in which is positioned a stamping body member 30 carrying on its outer arcuate-surface a rubberink stamp or impression sheet 32 carrying a raised impression-making outline 34. The stamp member is of the approximate size, e.g. 2 inches by 4 inches, of a workpiece, i.e., a stud to be joined to the workpiece 16 being marked. The stamp body member 30 is biased outwardly by an array of compression springs, here four, disposed in recesses 38 in member 30 and recesses 40 in the bottom 29 of the general recess of the drum in which the member 30 is received. A shouldered post member 42 is fixed to bottom member 29 and extends through opening 44 to its head 46 which islarger than opening 44 in the member 30; thus a shoulder of post 42 can bear upon a shoulder of member 30, setting the outer limit to which the springs 36 can urge the member 30 and the ink stamp carried thereupon. The outer end of the head is set in a predetermined position, i.e., it may be threaded and turned to the right height and then fixed in position. Referring to FIG. 3, the ink stamp is shown in its outwardmost position limited by head 46. In FIG. 4, after rotation of the drum 10, the outwardly urged ink stamp engages the inking roll 24, the resilient pressure provided by the springs causing firm inking relationship between the inking roller 24 and the raised line portions 34 of the ink stamp, springs 36 being compressed somewhat relative to the condition as shown in FIG. 3. As rotation continues, the position of FIG. 5 is attained, in which the ink stamp member is engaged with the workpiece 16. Inward pressure between the drum 10 and the workpiece 16 forces the ink member 30 inwardly, and in fact tends thereby to make the total rolling periphery of the device indefinite in length. Here the head 46 of member 44 plays an important role. It serves as a stop or leg which engages the workpiece through the thickness of the rubber pad. This establishes a definite overall peripheral dimension which, for instance, can be 16 inches in the case of marking for studs on l6-inch centers. Without this function of the fixed member or leg, the position of the inking stamp would vary depending upon pressure applied and other factors and thus would introduce the possibility of cumulative error during repeated rotation of the apparatus. It should be noted in FIG. 5 that the edges 50 and 52 of the recess in the drum cooperate with the head 44 to define three fixed points which establish accurately the length of the are covered by the device as the recessed region of the roller rolls past the workpiece.

Upon reaching an end of workpiece 10, the device may be reversed and marking a second workpiece to match the first can be accomplished as the workman returns to the point where he started.

It will be understood that various changes in the specific details are within the spirit and scope of the invention.

What is claimed is:

1. ln a layout device comprising a roller defining a peripheral surface for rolling along a workpiece for applying position markings at measured positions on the workpiece, an interrupted segment of said peripheral surface and an arcuate stamp body member carrying an ink stamp disposed in said interruption, associated with a supply of marking medium for marking said workpiece upon revolution of said roller, the improvement wherein said stamp body member is resiliently biased outwardly beyond said peripheral surface, but is radially yieldable to move inwardly under pressure of said workpiece, and a fixed member relative to said roller disposed in said interruption, exposed to bear against said ink stamp and thereby through the thickness of said ink stamp upon said workpiece with rotation of said roller, when said interruption reaches said workpiece, said fixed member and the peripheral surface of said roller defining a fixed circumferential length about said roller enabling the avoidance of cumulative error with respect to any indefiniteness in the position of said ink stamp.

2. The layout device of claim 1 wherein said supply of marking medium comprises an inking roller spaced adjacent but a distance from the path of the peripheral surface of said roller, said stamp body member normally biased outwardly across said distance to engage 4 said ink stamp and said inking roller during revolution of said roller.

3. The layout device of claim 2 including a yoke support for said roller, said yoke support providing for sup port for more than one size roller with each arranged to engage said inking roller.

4. The layout device of claim 1 wherein said fixed member is of elongated form located within said interruption, said fixed member protruding radially against said ink stamp.

S. The layout device of claim 4 wherein said fixed member comprises a post about which said stamp body member slides.

6. The layout device according to claim 1, wherein said fixed member also comprises a retainer setting a limit for the movement of said stamp body member outwardly under the influence of said bias.

7. The layout device of claim 6 wherein said fixed member has a shoulder engageable upon a shoulder of the stamp body member to retain said stamp body member upon said roller.

8. The layout device of claim 1 wherein said ink stamp is a rubber impression sheet extending oversaid fixed member, said fixed member bearing upon said workpiece through the thickness of said impression sheet.

9. The layout device of claim 1 wherein said ink stamp has a workpiece-contacting dimension of the order of 2 inches by 4 inches.

10. The layout device of claim 1 wherein said stamp body member is biased outwardly by a plurality of radially arranged compression springs disposed between said stamp body member and a surface of said roller. 

1. In a layout device comprising a roller defining a peripheral surface for rolling along a workpiece for applying position markings at measured positions on the workpiece, an interrupted segment of said peripheral surface and an arcuate stamp body member carrying an ink stamp disposed in said interruption, associated with a supply of marking medium for marking said workpiece upon revolution of said roller, the improvement wherein said stamp body member is resiliently biased outwardly beyond said peripheral surface, but is radially yieldable to move inwardly under pressure of said workpiece, and a fixed member relative to said roller disposed in said interruption, exposed to bear against said ink stamp and thereby through the thickness of said ink stamp upon said workpiece with rotation of said roller, when said interruption reaches said workpiece, said fixed member and the peripheral surface of said roller defining a fixed circumferential length about said roller enabling the avoidance of cumulative error with respect to any indefiniteness in the position of said ink stamp.
 2. The layout device of claim 1 wherein said supply of marking medium comprises an inking roller spaced adjacent but a distance from the path of the peripheral surface of said roller, said stamp body member normally biased outwardly across said distance to engage said ink stamp and said inking roller during revolution of said roller.
 3. The layout device of claim 2 including a yoke support for said roller, said yoke support providing for support for more than one size roller with each arranged to engage said inking roller.
 4. The layout device of claim 1 wherein said fixed member is of elongated form located within said interruption, said fixed member protruding radially against said ink stamp.
 5. The layout device of claim 4 wherein said fixed member comprises a post about which said stamp body member slides.
 6. The layout device according to claim 1, wherein said fixed member also comprises a retainer setting a limit for the movement of said stamp body member outwardly under the influence of said bias.
 7. The layout device of claim 6 wherein said fixed member has a shoulder engageable upon a shoulder of the stamp body member to retain said stamp body member upon said roller.
 8. The layout device of claim 1 wherein said ink stamp is a rubber impression sheet extending over said fixed member, said fixed member bearing upon said workpiece through the thickness of said impression sheet.
 9. The layout device of claim 1 wherein said ink stamp has a workpiece-contacting dimension of the order of 2 inches by 4 inches.
 10. The layout device of claim 1 wherein said stamp body member is biased outwardly by a plurality of radially arranged compression springs disposed between said stamp body member and a surface of said roller. 